BREAKING: Trump lead attorney in Russia probe resigns

John Dowd, the lead attorney for President Trump’s special counsel investigation, resigned on Thursday, according to a report from the New York Times, who wrote that Dowd’s departure “marks the most prominent shake-up for the president’s legal team since he took over from the president’s longtime personal lawyer, Marc E. Kasowitz.”

President Trump has said he should sit down for a discussion with special counsel Robert Mueller, while Dowd has been opposed to that idea.

The New York Times reported: Mr. Dowd, who took over the president’s legal team last summer, had considered leaving several times in recent months and ultimately concluded that Mr. Trump was increasingly ignoring his advice, one of the people said. Under Mr. Dowd’s leadership, Mr. Trump’s lawyers had advised him to cooperate with the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, who is investigating Russia’s election interference and possible ties to Trump associates as well as whether the president obstructed the inquiry.

The NY Times also observed: It is not clear who will run the team in his place. Mr. Trump’s other personal lawyer for the investigation, Jay Sekulow, is liked by the president and recently brought on one of his longtime friends, Joseph E. diGenova, to join the team.

The Associated Press reported: Attorney John Dowd confirmed his decision in an email Thursday to The Associated Press, saying, “I love the President and wish him well.”

Dowd’s departure comes three days after the Trump legal team added a new lawyer, former U.S. attorney Joseph diGenova, who has alleged on television that FBI officials were involved in a “brazen plot” to exonerate Hillary Clinton in the email investigation and “frame” Trump for nonexistent crimes.